Sunnyside, Texas

How ya'll doin??First off, last Monday and Tuesday were probably the saddest days of my mission. We ended up having 10 lessons in two days and it was AWESOME!! I saw all of our members that I was super close with and a lot of the were so sweet and gave me presents and letters. Monday night we had dinner with investigators and they surprised me with a little birthday party and they bought a little cake for me. :) It's tradition for some Hispanics that the birthday girl or boy takes a bite out of the cake before they cut it, but you have to get a lot of crème on your face when you do.... well I guess I didn't get enough so I go in to take another bite and my lovely companion Hermana Jaeger slams my face into it. It was such a much needed night with my favorite people.

Saying goodbyes is never fun, but I've got everyone's information and I should be going  back soon to see a couple of our investigators baptisms. :)

Transfer day in the chick van

Transfer meeting was an emotional roller coaster. President announced that he will be shutting down and combining a lot of areas because our mission is shrinking, because we don't have enough missionaries coming into fill the spots of those who are leaving. Like my title says I have been called to serve in Sunnyside, Texas..... ENGLISH speaking!!! I don't think I have cried so much in my life... okay it wasn't that much, but it literally felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. . Oh yeah, my baby Hermana Groves went English as well and a couple Elders. Lots of changes! Change is good!

Emily's new companion Sister Jackson

A little about my area. Is exactly below my last area. I can see downtown from my TOWNHOME... :) My area is pure African American people, and everyone knows us because we seriously the only white people here. Good news is Hermana Johnson and her companion cover my exact area, but Spanish speaking, so I get to see her ALL the time, a nice tender mercy from my Heavenly Father. There are 6 missionaries in our branch and about 20 people if that show up each week. I went from the biggest Spanish ward to a tiny little branch of people from all over the world. The area that I am serving in was a service area for about a year, so it will be like opening new area. They get about 10 lessons max each week, but we are going to make a change in that. :) Oh and it's the most dangerous area in the mission for sisters...... haha I live in the  GHETTO!! Oh man I love it sooooo much though. We have a member Raven who comes out with us and she's teaching me how to be black. Just you wait. I will have cornrows and everything in know time. :) Oh since this area was a service area we still do a lot of service and almost every week we go to the Police Station and do service with them. :)

The first couple days were extremely hard. I honestly felt like I entered a new mission and Sister Jackson my companion was my trainer. CRAZY! I don't know how to speak in English let a lone teach in English. In one of our lessons everyone of course was asking me "the new girl" to say all the opening or closing and prayer, and in a couple lessons I would accidentally start in Spanish or start speaking in Spanish during.... whoops. It nice being able to explain myself better and use different analogies and stuff that was harder for me before. In one of lessons we were teaching a lady and I really felt prompted to extend a baptismal date to her, but you should of heard how I extended it...thank goodness for the Holy Ghost, because she accepted!! Whoop, whoop.

One of the investigators we are teaching is named ( ....) I am not allowed to say his name because he is Muslim and his life could be a risk. But he is SUPER awesome!! This was the second lesson the missionaries have taught him and he is awesome He has know idea what is or how to pray. We are honestly starting from the very beginning with him and I love it. He is from Africa and speaks five different languages, and lucky me, one of them is Spanish and we speak back in forth. :) He really wants to become a member and really feels something he has never felt in his life.

The branch actually has a lot of white people in it. Because there are BYU graduates here going to U of H for graduate school. One of them Brother Shumway actually knows Adrianne Sam. Small World.

I love you all!!! I hope all is well at home and I can't wait to Skype ya'll in a couple weeks. :)

Have a wonderful week.

Les Quiero... I love ya'll,

Hermana Watkins... Sister Watkins